In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) allows laboratories to assist in the diagnosis of disease based on assays performed on patient fluid samples. IVD includes various types of analytical tests and assays typically conducted with automated clinical chemistry analyzers (analyzers) onto which fluid containers, such as tubes or vials containing patient samples (e.g., blood samples), have been loaded. The analyzer extracts a fluid sample from the vial and combines the sample with various reagent fluids (reagents) in special reaction cuvettes or tubes (referred to generally as reaction vessels).
IVD instruments are typically serviced at regular intervals for proper functioning to deliver tests to labs and doctors. When non-scheduled instrument issues occur, instrument uptime, operator workflow and efficiency are affected.
Conventional methods for troubleshooting IVD instrument issues are complex (e.g., identification of root causes of issues) and time consuming (e.g. time to determine correct path for a solution). These conventional methods rely on operator knowledge to fix the issues, thereby increasing operator workflow. Some conventional methods for troubleshooting IVD instruments issues include identifying the issues through an error condition or error code. In these conventional methods, an operator may look up how to troubleshoot an issue in a printed manual based on the error condition or error code. Operators may also search online for troubleshooting issues. Other conventional methods for troubleshooting IVD instruments issues include identifying the issues through a representative via the telephone phone or online. These conventional methods which include defining an issue and identifying solutions/strategies are time consuming and inefficient.